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Funding body delivers £5m extra to 89 London theatre company and venues
Louise Jury and Alex Stephens10 Jan 2008
Some of London's best-loved venues and innovative theatre companies have received major grants from the Arts Council.
While dozens of companies are facing cuts, 89 organisations in the capital will benefit from above-inflation funding rises.
Under proposals due to be confirmed this month, they will share nearly an extra £5 million between them.
The money will be divided up over three years from April.
The Hackney Empire, which is thriving after a refurbishment, has won a 44.3 per cent rise in funding to £395,523 by 2010/11.
The refurbished Camden Roundhouse's grant is going up from £605,500 to more than £1 million - a 73 per cent uplift in recognition of "strong and unique" programming.
Chief executive Marcus Davey said nearly 400,000 people had used the building since it re-opened 18 months ago, adding: "This increase will allow us to invest in new work and in enabling more people to see it."
The Arcola theatre in Dalston and the Shunt, Paines Plough and Frantic Assembly theatre companies have all been given big increases.
The Mayor's Thames Festival is in line for a 255 per cent increase that will take its Arts Council backing to £168,000 by 2010/11. The Greenwich and Docklands Festival, which organises many of the Trafalgar Square celebrations for events such as Diwali and Chinese new year, is set for a 279 per cent rise.
Other organisations to benefit include the Company of Angels theatre company for young people in Lambeth, the Ridiculusmus comic theatre company in Hammersmith and Fulham, English Touring Opera, and Tomorrow's Warriors, a resource centre for jazz.
However, nearly 200 bodies, including 53 in London, are threatened with a reduction or removal of funding.
The Tories today demanded the Arts Council suspend its programme of grant cuts.
Ed Vaizey, the shadow arts spokesman, said: "There needs to be a proper debate ... Many good theatres, orchestras and arts centres are about to be plunged into crisis."
Arts Council chief executive Peter Hewitt faced protests from more than 500 actors at a meeting about the grant cuts at the Young Vic yesterday. Ian McKellen, Alison Steadman and Joanna Lumley were among the stars in the hostile audience.
| Organisation | Percentage increase over three years | Funding by 2010/11 |
| Hackney Empire | 44.3 per cent | £395,523 |
| Roundhouse | 72.8 per cent | £1,046,151 |
| Greenwich and Docklands Festival | 278.7 per cent | £179,930 |
| Thames Festival | 255.3 per cent | £168,793 |
| Shunt theatre collective | 122.9 per cent | £152,936 |
| Paines Plough theatre company | 14.8 per cent | £284,777 |
| Frantic Assembly theatre company | 21.3 per cent | £179,304 |
| Company of Angels theatre for young people | 23.1 per cent | £147,662 |
| Ridiculusmus comic theatre | 8.3 per cent | £74,334 |
| Bigga Fish music and dance for young people | 110.9 per cent | £140,389 |
| English Touring Opera | 10.6 per cent | £1,554,709 |
| Urban Development gig promoter | 16 per cent | £110,240 |
| Music Matrix support agency | 37.1 per cent | £236,014 |
| Tomorrow's Warriors jazz resource centre | 47.7 per cent | £174,641 |
| Mahogany Community Ventures carnival body | 59.6 per cent | £125,186 |
Reader views (1)
As usual ACE is only giving part of the picture. How can we judge whether these are reasonable increases until we know what the others are, what is being taken away from 53 'failing' clients like the Bush,Orange Tree and Drill Hall, and what is being given to an unknown number of London clients for the first time?
Anyone in their right mind would say 'stop, let's take a year to do this properly'.
- Ian Herbert, Isleworth. Middx, 10/01/2008 20:39
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